As a companion to the UNGC/Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability 2013, Accenture has released a study of 30,000 consumers worldwide exploring their views on their quality of life, expectations on business and governments, and attitudes towards sustainable brands. Accenture has said that “the two studies reveal that, although CEOs see engagement with consumers as the most important single factor motivating them to accelerate progress on sustainability, they are often out of step with what motivates consumers to buy sustainable products and services.”

The report outlines a blueprint for three fundamental imperatives that will enable companies and brands to move from ‘marketing to mattering’ by leveraging sustainability to create market performance advantage:

1. Promote a commitment to honesty and transparency. Social media has facilitated greater awareness and dialogue on the honesty of business, and companies are increasingly held to account for their actions, and actions throughout their supply chain. Companies must embed the principles they espouse in marketing and communications throughout their operations.
2. Innovate to genuinely improve the lives of consumers. Consumers in high-growth markets are already more engaged on sustainability and have high expectations of business to deliver not just products and services that meet an immediate, practical need, but to deliver tangible improvements to their wellbeing, to that of their families and friends, and to the prosperity of their communities.
3. Communicate more overtly throughout the consumer journey, to enhance credibility as they move from ‘marketing’ to ‘mattering’; from communicating efforts and outputs on incremental measures of social responsibility and environmental mitigation, to demonstrating a clear purpose and credible impact.

Read the full report here.

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